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YA Author Todd Strasser poses with his surfboard in Montauk, New York. Strasser started surfing when he was in his mid-50s. His next book, Fallout(Candlewick), publishes in September 2013.

We all know about the summer reading slide. This summer, 180 students from two Buffalo (NY) suburban school districts spent four weeks with grad students working on their reading and writing skills, hoping to reverse that effect.

Filmmaker Hannah Weyer based her novel on a true story and uses an authentic “urban vernacular” to keep it real. Teen readers will be rooting for her young protagonist from start to finish. Adult Books 4 Teens blogger Angela Carstensen speaks with the author about On the Come Up and the real teen that inspired the book.

New York City’s librarians, teachers, and parents are prepping for a major battle with the city’s Department of Education on the heels of its official request to the New York State Education Department last week that it be exempted from state minimum staffing requirements for certified school library media specialists. The city’s move follows years of quiet noncompliance with the state mandate despite two petitions from the local teachers union to the State Commissioner of Education.

SLJ says about Brother, Brother—“This prince-and-pauper tale will have readers poised to learn the truth with Brother, rooting for him. This uplifting underdog story will draw thoughtful readers with its well-wrought characters and themes of family secrets, romance, and virtue.”—and now, five lucky SLJTeen readers can win a copy.

Teens review something old (Marc Anthony's return to his salsa roots), something new (rising star Selena Gomez), and something that just might scare the bejeezus out of you (The Walking Dead: 400 Days).

Don't procrastinate: get your plans in place now for Teen Read Week, October 13-19, brought to you by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). This year's theme, Seek the Unknown, has a world of possibilities for libraries and teens to explore.

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf. Abrams Comic Arts. 2012. Personal copy. Graphic Novel. Alex Award Winner. It’s About: A graphic novel memoir by Derf Backderf, a classmate of Jeffrey Dahmer. This is not the story of a serial killer; it is a look at the childhood and teen years of Jeffrey Dahmer, before his [...]

April Shroeder shares some advice on how to create unique and successful author visits for teens. Jay Asher and Ransom Riggs are some of the recent writers who have been hosted at the newly minted Gum Spring library, part of the Loudon County (VA) Public Library.